Auction raises money for woman with Stiff Man Synd

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    By DENISE PALMER

    Have you ever wanted to own a football autographed by Steve Young, Ty Detmer or Jerry Rice? What about a baseball signed by Dale Murphy? Well, Saturday may just be your chance.

    Residents of Pleasant Grove have planned a charity auction for Chris Geilman, a woman who suffers from a rare disorder called Stiff Man Syndrome. Items, such as the autographed sports equipment, will be sold to the highest bidder at the Rodeo Grounds Park in Pleasant Grove, 200 S. 400 West.

    Mitch Wilcox, an auction committee member, said all kinds of services have been donated for the event. He said local businesses have donated services to be auctioned off.

    Joanna Major, a neighbor of Geilman, named some of the items being donated.

    “There will be massages, hair cuts, perms, books, a hydro-seeded lawn, oil changes, bowling and full wedding decorations,” she said.

    Wilcox said people will have the chance to buy the items at retail price before the auction at a yard sale. The yard sale will begin at 9:30 a.m., also at Rodeo Grounds Park in Pleasant Grove.

    “Everything left from the yard sale will be auctioned off,” Wilcox said.

    Wilcox said items will continue to be donated until Friday.Those who attend will be given a master list of the items for sale, he said. Hot dogs, hamburgers and sodas will also be sold at the event.

    Wilcox said the committee has planned the auction for about six months.

    Geilman, who has had SMS for 14 years, has been turned down by health care providers, Wilcox said.

    Major said members of the community decided to help the family with their medical bills.

    “This is an ongoing thing that started at the end of August when we decided we needed to help these people,” she said. “We have a lot of people working on this. It’s really been a blessing to Chris.”

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